DailyKaizen

Because Lee’s on vacation, I should try and approximate him a little…

Adults are always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas - Paula Poundstone

I visited with a physician colleague about a week ago who sent me a note about an aspect of workflow involving our medical record system. I asked, “Can I come watch you practice?” Yes, she said. I came to meet her team and I observed a few patient visits. She asked me to also watch the flow of her support team, which I did. I didn’t have an answer because her setup is slightly different than the one we use at the medical center I practice, but I did capture some photographs of our team to inspire and give ideas.

A week later, I went back to the same medical center pick up another physician colleague who was being honored as student in an entering class of a very prestigious community leadership program (which is inspiring in and of itself - an organization that embraces LEAN does great things for society). On the way out, I ran into the colleague that I shadowed last week and we talked for a bit.

Then she said, “Come over here and see what I’ve done.” She had created laminated cards in various colors as a signal to her team which allows them to know which patient needs to be discharged. She said, “It’s better. I just need to remind myself to allow my team to handle discharging so I can tend to the next patient.”

I never would have come up with something like this, not knowing the nuances of her practice environment. Whether or not the new system takes hold, I was so impressed at this self-directed mini-Kaizen, which actually incorporated a visual system and reinforced synchrony of her team, for the benefit of the patient.

As I left the building to join my other colleague, I was marveling at this very busy physician’s creativity. She did it herself, with a mixture of intelligence, caring, and humility. I have never doubted that nurses and doctors know what good health care is. They will try anything to make it better - we just need to replicate this experience for every care team in every care system. What would it be like if we unleashed their creativity a little every day to improve one process they perform?

So now I know what I want to be when I grow up - a person who watches people solve problems. Not a bad aspiration!

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